


The Bifrost Incident

by Thunderfire69



Series: The Mechanisms Stuff [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Album)
Genre: Angst, Apocalypse, F/M, Gen, Gore, Graphic Imagery, Graphic Violence, Horror, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Not A Happy Ending, Ragnarok, graphic gore, if this being a an au on a world created by The Mechanisms isn’t warning enough, mental damage, psychological damage, then fair warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 10:46:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19665886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderfire69/pseuds/Thunderfire69
Summary: Stephen paused again, to take a breath and rub at his temples in what was an obviously anguished gesture. “And what a train it was, gilded with gold and swirls of bismuth mosaic. Every high-up, well-to-do, nose-turning Asgardian hobnob was on that first trip, or risk Odin's displeasure. So when it didn't come out the other side, who's left to rule? In the chaos that ensued, no-one really had a chance to see what happened to the train itself. And that's where I come in.”He took another swig from his bottle, placing it down beside him with a thump. “Inspector Second Class Stephen Strange, New Midgard Transport Police. Because the Ratatosk Express has finally arrived in Midgard… eighty years late.”-OR-The Bifrost Incident, but with Marvel characters instead.





	The Bifrost Incident

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to The Bifrost Incident by The Mechanisms before this because this contains spoilers!!!! And also bc it’s really good and y’all should listen to it.

_Most days, Stephen wasn’t excited for his work. He wasn’t sure why he’d become part of the border transport police in the first place, if he was completely honest. But today… well, he wouldn’t say he was excited for his work today, as much as intrigued. Because today, the Ratatosk Express had finally arrived._

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen settled down with a sigh at his desk, and clicked on his voice recording device, took a swig from his bottle and then took a deep breath. This would be the last thing he’d ever leave on New Midgard. And then, he finally began.

“The Bifrost Incident. Any school child could tell you about it. The fall of the old order, two hundred years of Asgardian hubris come together in a single, epoch-defining event. The maiden voyage of a train through the stars, vanished, without a trace.” Stephen paused here to take another drink from his bottle.

“For decades it had been Old-Man Odin's passion project; his long-sought legacy. Shoot a locomotive through that man-made rainbow wormhole, cut the time between worlds from three months to three days. All the tests had been passed with quite literal flying colours, and the train was deemed safe.”

Stephen paused again, to take a breath and rub at his temples in what was an obviously anguished gesture. “And what a train it was, gilded with gold and swirls of bismuth mosaic. Every high-up, well-to-do, nose-turning Asgardian hobnob was on that first trip, or risk Odin's displeasure. So when it didn't come out the other side, who's left to rule? In the chaos that ensued, no-one really had a chance to see what happened to the train itself. And that's where I come in.”

He took another swig from his bottle, placing it down beside him with a thump. “Inspector Second Class Stephen Strange, New Midgard Transport Police. Because the Ratatosk Express has finally arrived in Midgard… eighty years late.”

He stopped here for a moment, as if he really didn’t wish to speak the next line. Then with a deep breath, he pushed on. “There's nothing left except the twisted ruin of the engine room, and a couple of warped skeletons… and the black box. It's as much a history project as a crime scene at this point, but combing through the data still comes down to me.”

Stephen paused here, more for effect than anything else (though he did take this chance to take another swig from his bottle). “First recording is Odin's launching speech. Almost a century ruling Asgard, you think he’d be a better public speaker. Not rambling on about the glories of his pet science project, as if exporting quicker tyranny to Midgard was all he ever dreamed of.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

  


_“Welcome my friends,” came Odin’s sing-song voice through the crackling, unsteady, distorted footage. “To the place where our dawning science ends. Rolling to see if our pistons can reach to eternity. Come along with me as we cut a rainbow swathe across the sky. Together we’ll be riding wheels of new tomorrow nigh.”_

_There’s a brief pause from the Allfather, for effect and emphasis._

_“Mile after mile, from the stars to the place where the void sings, we’ll answer its call.”_

_There’s another pause, again for effect, as if Odin is trying to emphasise the importance of this train. As if the implore the others to care about this train as much as he does, impressing the importance of this journey onto them all._

_“Now we're on track, we must push forward there's no turning back. This engine of the new, our destiny will drive us straight and true. Come along with me as we travel to a future shining bright. At last we are free to steam out into that chromatic night.”_

_A final pause from the Allfather before he wraps up his odd, sing-song speech._

_“Mile after mile, from the stars to the place where the void sings, we’ll answer its call.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen takes another swig from his bottle before continuing to record, letting out an almost audible sigh. “And the Ratatosk Express launches. Speed readings peak at 250 miles an hour as the tracks engage, and then the odometer starts to go a little bit weird. Can’t quite figure out how fast it's traveling, or if it’s standing still. External cameras are only black and white, but still manage to give a sense of the shifting, undulating hues inside the Bifrost.”

Stephen pauses, massaging his temples for the second time that day. “The train’s underway, and it should be out the other side in just under 72 hours. That's how long the journey was supposed to take, though no one left living knows why.”

Another pause, this time because Stephen is struggling to work out how to word what he wants to say next. “There’s a lot of corruption in the recording, and picking out clear words and images is difficult at best, but I scan the first day intently, looking for signs of anyone or anything that might have led to the train’s destruction. For a while I come up empty - plenty of folks seem unhappy to be making the journey, regardless of the luxury. Even Odin seems to be less than fully comfortable, spending every spare second staring out the glass wall of his personal observation deck. But there’s nothing I can put my finger on as too out of place.”

He takes another drink, having drained about a quarter of the bottle by now. “Then I spot Loki lurking in one of the private suites, and everything starts to make sense. Not much sense, because Loki was supposed to be dead already, but before that he spent 30 years working with a Midgardian terrorist cell, so if anyone’s behind the Bifrost Incident, it would be him.”

The next part seemed to take a lot for Stephen to say, as if it pained him. “On the video feed, he doesn’t look well. Drawn, haggard, hidden away in that suite, he just clutches his head for hours and hours. Not the behavior of a ruthless saboteur. Police files from before the incident are patchy, but I can still get the details of Loki’s arrest and sentencing. Execution, apparently carried out as ordered, but there’s something else there. Loki used to work on the Bifrost, right at its inception, decades before the incident. Maybe Odin couldn’t afford to lose his knowledge, and secretly swapped out execution for something that kept his expertise intact. But even through the grainy playback of the video feed, it’s clear that whatever Odin did instead messed his head up something awful.”

  


*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The audio from the Black Box is slightly distorted, but the quiet, sing-song words coming from Loki’s mouth can just be made out as he clutches at his head in obvious anguish._

_“Somewhere deep inside me fester memories and dreams, I try to pin them down but I can't hear beyond the screams. All I recall with clarity is sunshine and is merry song… What are these thoughts so vague and dark beyond? Deep inside my mind, what is there to find?”_

_Loki paused, as if seeming to try and collect his obviously scattered thoughts._

_“Who is he that I see? Could it be? Is it me? Or just a dream? Crying out, but without any way he can shout his silent scream… Is this rage at his cage or wars he cannot wage chained in my soul? Can I find from my mind that which I left behind making me whole?”_

_Another pause, as Loki once again tries to collect his thoughts. To voice them again._

_“Flashes like camera bulbs fire in my brain, is this truly me, am I going insane? In faint bloody flashes I watch people die, and if that was me, then who am I?”_

_For a few moments, his frantic, scattered sing-song muttering cuts off. Then he picks it back up again, as if he had managed to gather his thoughts just enough to continue._

_“Locked away from the fray lest they say what I may truly deserve, through my tears I can hear echoes of creeping fear whispering words in my soul, taking hold, trying to make me whole, bringing me back. What I saw, gone before, leads to a gaping maw, twisting the track.”_

_A pause again, as Loki gathers his thoughts again. Then he repeats similar sing-song words from earlier._

_“Flashes like camera bulbs fire in my brain, is this truly me, am I going insane? In faint bloody flashes I watch people die, and if that was me, then who am I?”_

_Then Loki seems to gather his thoughts more clearly than before. “Oohhh, you can’t erase me. Oohhh, you can't unmake me. Oohhh, you can't erase me. Oohhh, you can’t unmake me. Flashes like camera bulbs fire in my brain, is this truly me, am I going insane? In faint bloody flashes I watch people die, and if that was me, then who am I?”_

_Then another voice is heard through the feed, as another person enters the same train compartment. The voice of another god._

_“This cannot be, but here I see a face I know so well. Loki should be dead, but here he sits, a broken shell. Baldur died and for that crime we watched him burn in bloody pain. Did Odin think to save him for his train? If we were betrayed, there’s a price to pay.”_

_There’s a pause, as if the newcomer was going to let Loki pick up the slack. Then, the other god continues on. “Fury like thunderbolts burns in my veins, if that's truly him then I know who's to blame. Odin passed judgement; we all watched him die, but if that is Loki he’ll pay for his lies.”_

_Then the two seemed to sing in harmony; the newcomer’s voice louder and more confident. Because of this, Loki’s voice was almost lost underneath it all._

_“Flashes like camera bulbs fire in my brain.”_

_“Fury like thunderbolts burns in my veins.”_

_“Is this truly me, am I going insane?”_

_“If that's truly her then I know who's to blame.”_

_“In faint bloody flashes I watch people die.”_

_“Odin passed judgement; we all watched him die.”_

_“And if that was me, then who the fuck am I?”_

_“But if that is Loki he’ll pay for his lies.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen picks up the recording again, after another swig from the steadily emptying bottle beside him. “That? That was Thor. High-up in Asgard, tipped to take over from Odin when he finally loses it.”

Stephen sighed. “He has something of a history with Loki - used to be friends, even. Thor wasn't there when Odin, Loki and Baldur first tested the Bifrost, but he was there when Loki’s bomb killed Baldur, fifteen years after he vanished into the Midgard underground. He used a test-run to send a pair of hijacked missiles through to Asgard. Missile one destroyed the track and set the project back another decade. Missile two killed Baldur.“

Stephen took another drink from the bottle. “Thor's file doesn't paint him as the forgiving type, and seeing that Loki wasn’t as dead as Odin claimed looks to have rattled him bad. As he enters Odin's carriage, it's hard to tell if his anger is from seeing the man who murdered Baldur still lives, or because of what Odin has done to his mind. The discussion between the two of them is hard to make out, but looks to be...intense.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The audio on the Black Box is more distorted than before, but because of Thor and Odin’s strong voices, most, if not all of their argument, can be heard._

_“Odin, we have seen near a century of your rule, but now all that I see is just an ageing fool. You waste Asgard's wealth on this train, and your mercy's defiled Loki's brain. When your doomed projects fail I will be there take up the reins.”_

_There’s a pause, where Odin probably said something, but the Black Box refuses to share it with Stephen, or the recorder. Instead, all that can be heard is the next thing Thor says._

_“Loki deserved to die in his right mind, his knowledge of the track could not be left behind. You tried and condemned him to die.”_

_From here, Odin became to harmonise with Thor in the odd sing-song way all the Asgardians on the train seemed to be speaking._

_“So far through the aether we'd fly.”_

_“But hid him and now we know why.”_

_“To hold close our destiny nigh.”_

_“You traded your honour for folly, you’re nothing in my eyes.”_

_“I could not let honour prevent us from piercing the sky.”_

_Then Thor seemed to snap from the sing-song way the two had been speaking, and switched to angry yelling. “Shut up and listen to reason, for once! Whilst he’s alive, you’re in danger, the train is in danger; everything you have worked for is in danger! Either you take care of Loki, or I will.”_

_Odin’s gaze hardened, that much clear through the grainy feed of the Black Box._

_“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he says in a way that sounds as if he is not sorry at all. He gestures to a servant on the train. “This gentleman will escort you to a private compartment where you will remain for the rest of the journey. You’ll find your resignation letter laid out on the desk. Please feel free to sign it at your own leisure.”_

_Thor’s face contorts in fury. “Fuck you, and fuck your train! You’ll be sorry, you all will!”_

_Thor then picks up the sing-song way of speaking again. “Listen very close, and hear what I say, I swear on my life you will regret this day. Now I won’t sing your praise any more, you’ve lost sight of what you stood for. I don’t care if my vengeance will lead us into civil war. I will hound you, you’ve got no idea what’s in store. I will burn down your train, leave you ruined and poor. You’ll all swear your allegiance to Thor.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen leans back in his chair for a moment before speaking again. “So now I'm pretty sure it's Thor that led the train to its destruction. He was already poking around with a master key when he found Loki, and if control of Asgard wasn't motive enough, he just got another big reason to throw a hammer in the works. As he's dragged away through the corridors by security, he kicks out, apparently in random anger, smashing the lock to one of the compartments. Loki’s compartment.“

Stephen leans forward now, resting his elbows on the desk and pressing his fingers hard against his temples. “I'm all but ready to write Thor up as the saboteur, when the feed on him cuts out. My gaze drifts to the dining car, and I have to do a double-take. I wouldn't have recognized him if I hadn't been looking through Loki’s file, but I would swear the chief attendant is Tony. Loki’s husband and, with Fenrir serving five life sentences on the prison colony of Hel, the highest ranking member of the Midgardian resistance. At first I think he’s there for Loki, but then I notice Garm and Skoll among the cooks, Hati working the bar. Every one of the serving staff is from Fenrir’s old crew. And I remember that before the maiden voyage, they'd already built Bifrost stations on every planet in Yggdrasil, including Hel.“

Stephen paused, for effect. “They were planning a jailbreak. One that took almost the entire Asgardian government hostage. I watch as Tony passes among the unnoticed Midgardian servants, whispering reassurance and revolution…”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The recorder once again picks up audio from the Black Box, distorted and slightly static, but oddly the most clear it’s been for a while. The voice of Tony, Loki’s husband, in that odd sing-song tone once again._

_“Right around the corner, a new world being born, as Loki once swore to me… In the face of Asgard’s scorn.”_

_A short pause, before Tony continues on. “We’ve nothing but our shackles, and the boot across our throat. Our freedom and our vengeance, born in blood and smoke. Sharpen your knives, we strike tonight.”_

_Another pause as Tony moves about the cabin, doing the work of an attendant to uphold his fake identity. “Fallen and imprisoned, Fenrir never bowed. The Bifrost and his mission, our destiny comes now.”_

_A final pause before Tony begins to taper off his sing-song words for a moment, after a final verse. “Fenrir calls, and Asgard will fall. When we control the track, we’ll take our planet back.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen takes control of the recording again for a moment. “Passing by the passenger compartments, Tony spots the broken lock. He touches it, suspicion on his face as the door swings inwards. Then he sees Loki, and all the hardness and misery falls away in an instant.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_Audio from the Black Box is heard once more. It’s Tony’s voice again, the same sing-song beat from before. ”Loki, you’re here, can you be real? I barely see you through my tears. I saw you die, for doing what is right. You’ve come back to me and I don’t care why.”_

_There’s a pause here, then Tony continues on. “Why back away? This time I'll stay. Come stand at my side as we make them pay. I look in your eyes, there’s nothing behind. What did they do, did they take your mind?”_

_The two begin to harmonise, Loki’s voice sounding more distorted than Tony’s._

_“Remember your husband.”_

_“I can’t recall.”_

_“So they did take your life.”_

_“Not me at all.”_

_“All the suffering, strife and sin.”_

_“He’s still enthralled.”_

_“I have endured and still they win.”_

_Tony steps back, looking pained at Loki’s words. “Rescue in vain, choke down my pain. I swear that I'll not lose you again. Hollowed and bowed, who are you now? Will you still stand when we take them down?”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen’s voice is heard once again, after he takes another swig from his bottle. “And with tears in his eyes, Tony leaves.“

There’s a pause, as Stephen lets that fact sink in.

“It's here that the recording starts to fully break down. Whole areas of the train are just static for hours, with random bursts of distorted audio.”

Stephen paused again, to take another small mouthful from his bottle.

“I find a few seconds of Loki wandering the carriages, passengers staring at him in confusion. There's brief audio of Tony, talking with Thor about gaining access to something. A looped clip of a guard dragging Loki to Odin’s cabin. A static image of Thor and Tony standing outside the door to the engine room - the one camera that never worked - and Thor is bleeding. And then ten minutes of Odin’s face, smiling directly into camera. I can't tell if the image is frozen or not, but after watching his increasingly erratic behaviour, I can’t shake the feeling that he’s looking at me. Then nothing until the end.”

Stephen’s voice seems to take on a pained edge here. In hindsight, this is where he’s starting to realise the true horrors he’s undercovered during this investigation.

“And that's it. I have no more information. Four suspects, each of which could have destroyed the train, by design or by accident. I watch and rewatch the footage I have, desperate for any clues I might have missed. On the monitors, their faces stare out, expressions of determination and resolve, and I have no idea what happens next.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_We can hear the Black Box audio once more, Odin and Thor’s voices harmonising at first._

_“Odin there will be no more of your misrule.”_

_“Mile after mile.”_

_“We won't look away any more.”_

_“The void sings, the void sings.”_

_“Any more.”_

_“Mile after mile, cutting swathes through the sky as the void sings, the void sings.”_

_“A traitor to all you stood for.”_

_“With destiny’s call.”_

_“It’s time that you fall.”_

_Other voices harmonise with them, some known to us, others not._

_“If it’s the last thing I do then it’s worth it,” comes the voice of a passenger who’s name we do not know, and never will know._

_“My glorious train,” is the voice of Odin._

_“I see a new world and I must unearth it,” comes the voice of another passenger whom we do not know._

_“And Odin must pay,” is Thor’s angry yell._

_“I’ll bring back my mind,” Loki says quietly, almost desperately._

_“My destiny is calling,” yet another unknown passenger._

_“End Asgardian Reign,” comes the voice of Tony._

_“I stare into my fate,” is another unknown passenger._

_Then, for a little while, all that can be heard is Loki and Tony._

_“Flashes of history burn through my mind.”_

_“Remember your husband.”_

_“Is this truly me what have I left behind?”_

_“So they did take your life.”_

_“Who is this person I’ve given my trust?”_

_“All the suffering, strife and sin.”_

_“Reaching for memories there’s nothing but dust.”_

_Both sound equally desperate, Loki to reclaim his memories and Tony to find the husband he has lost._

_“Right around the corner, Odin’s world must burn.”_

_“Who is he?”_

_“As now it is clear to me at the point of no return.”_

_“It’s me that I see.”_

_“We’ve nothing but our shackles but our bond are weapons too.”_

_“Shame to my soul.”_

_“Our freedom and our vengeance they'll birth the world anew.”_

_“Making me whole.”_

_The odd blend, audio from numerous parts of the train, from numerous times over the time the train rolled along those tracks, blurs into a single song._

_“If it’s the last thing I do then it’s worth it,” comes the voice of a passenger._

_“My glorious train,” is the voice of the Allfather, Odin._

_“I see a new world and I must unearth it,” another passenger sings._

_“And Odin must pay,” comes Thor’s voice once more, seemingly angrier this time._

_“I’ll bring back my mind,” Loki mutters desperately._

_“My destiny is calling,” comes another passenger's voice._

_“End Asgardian Reign,” Tony hisses._

_“I stare into my fate.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen takes a long drink from his bottle this time. “Days I’ve spent watching it now. The same scenes, the same faces, over and over. Then distortion. Interference. Static. It’s all a blur.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_A final verse of the song can be dimly heard, but the words are nearly impossible to make out. Only Thor, Loki and Tony can be properly heard, and even then the audio distortion makes some words hard to make out._

_“Odin, your time has come…” Thor snarls, louder than he probably should._

_“Flashes of memory, flashes of history left in my mind…” Loki’s voice is full of the same desperation that it always seems full of._

_“A world anew, I’ll carve for you…” Tony’s voice is determined._

_“Nothing but dust…” Confusion laces into Loki’s tone._

_“Odin, your time has come…” Thor repeats, and it’s hard to tell if this is the audio looping or if he really said it a second time._

_“Flashes of memory, flashes of history left in my mind…” comes Loki’s desperate voice once again._

_“A world anew, I’ll carve for you…”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen slams his bottle down violently on the table, and he spits out his next words as if it had just happened, as if his anger was truly fresh and new and burning. “Nothing. I've got nothing. There's only one option left, and I really, really don't want to use it. Shortly after the Ratatosk Express failed to emerge from the Bifrost, a small group of bandits arrived to prey on the chaos. Their clothing and weapons were utterly alien, and it took almost 20 years to capture them. Even stranger, in the 60 years of their imprisonment, they have stubbornly refused to age. They have, however, shown an affinity for technology beyond what we know. If anyone still living understands the Bifrost, it'll be them. I hate them.“

A new voice can be heard on the recording; it’s obvious a meeting was recorded between Stephen and these bandits.

“Ah, good morning, Inspector Stephen!”

“Von Raum,” comes Stephen’s reply, sounding cold and still.

“And what can we do for you this fine prison day?” the same voice from before questions.

“Is it about the Bifrost?” pipes up an impatient sounding, feminine voice.

“Uh, yes,” Stephen slowly responds, sounding shocked. “How did you know?”

“Given your distaste for us, it is the only foreseeable event with a greater than 30% chance of bringing you here. Has the train arrived?” the third bandit speaks up, she, too, sounding impatient.

“Yes, a few days ago.”

“Ah, then we should be going,” the second bandit says.

Stephen snorts. “Ha, well good luck with that. Look, I'm just here because I need to understand what happened in the Bifrost. What happened to the train.”

“Well then... We shall tell you…” the first bandit begins to sing a tune, almost indecipherable.

Stephen yells at him almost instantly. “SHUT UP. No singing. I’m sick of your singing. Where did you get that violin? Just tell me what happened.”

The bandit sniffs, sounding put out. “Well if you're going to be like that, you can just watch the black box.“

“No I can't,” Stephen snaps, sounding very impatient. “The data's too corrupt.“

“Oh, is that all?” The way the second bandit says these words makes it sound like Stephen had said his car had a burst tire, and not that the Black Box footage was corrupt. “Ivy?”

The third bandit, Ivy, sighed. “Give it here.”

There’s a few moments of silence. Then Stephen speaks again, and it’s clear the recording is no longer from when he met with the bandits. “The recordings are clear now. I can see everything. The first that matters, that really matters is from the locomotive. Thor and Tony standing in the engine room, staring towards where the engine should be. But inside, there is no engine. Instead a man lies upon a silver altar. His name is Kvasir, a low level member of the Midgardian resistance, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the dozen tubes and feed lines plugged into his veins, pumping blood through the arcane glyphs and blood channels and gears and sigils that line the chamber. The metal is the same as that which makes the track, and it hums like a far off chant.“

The way Stephen describes this, in such detail, is chilling at best to any who would happen to listen. And this is exactly what he intends; to emphasise how dire this situation truly is.

“Judging by their faces, neither Thor nor Tony had any idea what was in this room. After a few moments of paralysis, Tony runs to Kvasir, pulling tubes out of him, blood seeping - oozing from his wounds. Thor begins pulling levers and throwing switches seemingly at random, causing the glyphs and channels to move and warp their constellations. Then they stop. It isn't clear whether it was removing Kvasir or Thor meddling with the controls, but both of them can sense that something has changed. Something has gone very very wrong.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_It’s Black Box audio once again. For a full minute, all we can hear is seemingly mindless chanting of the same words, over and over._

_“Y'AI 'NG'NGAH, YOG-SOTHOTH H'EE-L'GEB F'AI THRODOG UAAAH_

_OGTHROD AI'F GEB'L-EE'H YOG-SOTHOTH 'NGAH'NG AI'Y ZHRO.”_

_And then the chanting stops, and an unknown voice speaks. “And the walls begin to tear. Not the walls of the train, but those of a false and hollow reality, twisting in its thrall to Yog Sothoth, the key and the gate through whose cascading rainbow being the train has passed. Yog Sothoth who is the Bifrost, and whose dread invocation now shattered, drags them towards the roiling nuclear chaos of the mad deamon sultan at the centre of reality. A billion screaming squamous things approach, oozing and crawling through the shattered tatters of a sane world. All the doors are open now.”_

_There was silence for a moment, then the unknown voice begins to speak in that sing-song manner that has been prevalent through all of the recordings. “Through the breaking cracks in space, they come a pace a thousand faces. Screaming, tearing through from where the starlight bare will die uncaring. Through the walls their squamous calls, will bring their falls now victims one and all. Tearing at the seams, their now eternal screams, will sound upon the breeze in the corner of dreams.”_

_This imagery is eerie, almost as chilling as that which Stephen had described earlier._

_“Standing guard, his face set hard, Heimdall will play his part he’s ripped apart. His scream of pain echos insanely, through the train it never wanes. The first to die he’s skinned alive, by his own cry the end is nigh. Now his golden eyes, still shining bright, are burst across the sky, by the rainbow teeth of night, and he’ll never know why.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

The Black Box audio cuts out again for a moment, and Stephen speaks. “Standing there in that Hellish Chamber - the no longer beating heart of the Bifrost. Thor and Tony stare in mute horror, the crumpled form leaking before them, the arcane glyphs and gears spinning dry, as all that protected and powered the train bleeds away.”

Then Stephen takes another swig from his bottle, and the Black Box audio returns.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_“Kvasir, I know this man why is he here?” Tony sounds dismayed, and almost as if he is grieving._

_“Odin, what have you done?” Thor sounds angrier than before, if that’s even possible._

_“I left him back on Midgard, hiding, on the run,” Tony sounds even more upset as he continues with this line._

_“Allfather, you must pay.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen’s voice grows more pained the more he speaks. “Without the regulating pump of the train, Kvasir convulses and bleeds out in a matter of seconds. Screams can be heard from the carriages behind, and as the blood laps at their boots in a shallow crimson tide, Thor turns and walks away to do his work.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_Black Box audio is heard once again, that unknown voice once more. The words are the most chilling, horrifying yet. Descriptive, and oozing with imagery that could fuel anyone’s nightmares._

_“In the carriages behind them, the window is no bar, to the giant raging Fire of an ever-dying star. That reaches, rends, seizes poor doomed Frey, no weapon, no defense as his void-burnt flesh is flayed. His sister Freya watches, but her new throat cannot scream, as Odr, her husband, fades as though a dream. In the now-eternal instant of her loss, her eyes grow wet, but instead of tears what falls is golden red as the final sunset. The silver and the platinum of etchings on the wall reach to her, her melting skin their cold embrace appalls. As she fuses to the core of this abomination train, always watching, but stripped of any way to voice her pain, she sees as Tyr regrows the hand he lost to Fenrir’s blade, as he fights the teeth of rabid Garm, whose mind like sand has slipped away. But no new limb will save his blood from Garm’s devouring jaw, though his fingers find his heart and they merge dead upon the floor, and cosmic madness reigns.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen takes a long, audible swig of his bottle. “At the observation window, Odin watches untouched by the chaos. Loki stares at him, eyes wide.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_Loki’s voice can be heard once more, even more confused sounding than before. “What is this inside my mind that drags out what I left behind? My eyes now clear, the call begun so long ago, Odin what have you done?”_

_“I’ve done it! Though I never knew the dreams that ate at me were true. A fool I was, hubristic, vain, to think conquest the purpose of my train.”_

_The confusion lacing Loki’s voice only grew as he continued. “This train is not what we had planned. We built but did not understand. I tried to stop it but I failed. There’s no protection now we are derailed.”_

_“Derailing? Yes! It’s higher need was reached as soon as it was freed. You heard the call, but ran away. You could not stop the coming of this day.”_

_The unknown voice from earlier speaks up again. “A day, a week, a thousand years, mean naught to what the train draws near. Nuclear chaos, roiling, screaming, lulled by demon flutes to keep it dreaming.”_

_There’s more audio, but it’s distorted, probably by the recorder Stephen is using. The words are barely possible to make out, and seem to blur._

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

We hear Stephen again, the quiet noises of him swirling the liquid around in his bottle as he speaks. “Leaving Odin to his madness, Loki turns away. He walks out towards the front to find Tony. At least they can die together. From the blood soaked engine room, Thor emerges, his mind razor keen for vengeance upon the so-called Allfather. Each faces a wall of claws and teeth, eyes and flesh, unknown and squamous things from spaces between realities, lit by the rainbow glow of the Key and the Gate through which the train still passes. They steel themselves, and advance.”

A pause, as Stephen takes another swig. “They emerge into a brief respite. A carriage, empty and now almost peaceful. Across the warped remains that litter the floor. Thor and Loki lock eyes as they pass.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_“You? Don't I know you? Thor, weren't we friends?”_

_“Once, I remember, and now, when it ends.”_

_“Where are you going?” Loki’s voice is full of question._

_“For vengeance.”_

_“For love.”_

_“Die in peace,” Thor offers; the underlying context is there. He forgives Loki, in these final moments._

_“Die in honour,” Loki responds in a similar tone._

_“Perhaps that's enough.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen’s voice grows more frantic, full of grief and urgency. “At the door to Odin’s cabin, Thor emerges from the fray, tearing through a horde of sharpened flesh and slime-slick meat. In his hands an engineers hammer, now chipped and caked in gore. He staggers and bleeds from a hundred wounds as he kicks through the door.”

He pauses, only to lean forward and hurried whisper his next words. “Behind it, what once was Odin laughs. His body long and undulating, his one eye now vast and staring, as he who once styled himself the Allfather is transformed by the touch of the gods he had unknowingly served for so long.”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The anger in Thor’s voice is more evident than ever as he confronts Odin for the final time. “What the fuck have you done?“_

_“I have given our people apotheosis. A final completion. The touch and gaze of those to whom we are less than nothing.”_

_“You planned this! You knew this was going to happen.”_

_“When I built this train, this snaking engine of change, I could not have guessed that this is where the songs I dreamt of would lead. But we are here, and when the train reaches Midgard, our new gods will follow and share their gift with all.“ Odin’s voice had taken on a maddened edge._

_“You're insane!“_

_“Sanity has no meaning in the is place. I am the serpent that shall poison the sky and boil the sea. The land shall freeze eternal as Yog-Sothoth beckons us hence, whose voice I heard when first we built the track so long ago. All shall know my rule to be the last, and none shall survive my reign.“_

_“No.” Thor’s voice sounded full of determination._

_“Killing me will not save your world,” Odin hisses, as if reading Thor’s thoughts._

_You can almost hear the gruesome, blood-thirsty smile in Thor’s tone as he speaks once more. “I don't care.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen takes another swig of drink. “Wounded as he is, it is not a fight that Thor can win. Bleeding his last upon the floor, he takes nine steps to the glass wall of the observation deck. He cannot escape, but any window with a hammer is also an emergency exit. And the stars claim them both.”

A pause, as Stephen gathers his thoughts.

“At the front of the train, Loki emerges. He is fled by the things he passes, who recognise one touched by the outer gods. In the blood-soaked engine room, Tony kneels, collapsed in despair. Loki touches his shoulder, and they embrace. With tears flowing freely, Loki explains what they have to do. They cannot prevent what they have touched following them into our world, but they can delay it. Keep the train on the track as long as possible. Together.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_For the second last time, we hear Black Box audio. Tony and Loki’s voices singing softly together._

_“There’s been so little time to share, we’ve always had our loads to bear. I won’t forget. I won’t leave you this time. This time.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen sounds almost broken as he continues his explanation. “They uncouple the carriages behind and Loki lays upon the altar. Tony pushes a single line into his husband’s heart and holds it tight. All he lets through is a drip drip drip, flowing through the glyphs and gears. When Loki's heartsblood is gone, the train will arrive, but until then, they are together. Through the pain, Loki kisses Tony.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The final Black Box audio is heard, Loki and Tony’s voices together again._

_“Goodbye my love, yet shed no tears, the lives we've shared have brought us here. I will stay by your side. I’ll hold on through this time. This time.”_

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Stephen sounds resigned as he wraps up his recording. “So there you have it. The train has arrived and it's only a matter of time. The prisoners have disappeared, though twenty inches of solid steel and fifty heavily armed guards. They were right. I've chartered a small ship, and as soon as I've finished this bottle I'm setting off for the Hoddmimis mining colony, far from the Yggdrasil system. I'm not stopping there. Just refuel and keep going. If anyone hears this report in time, I suggest you do the same.“

He swirls the liquid in his bottle around in a thoughtful manner. “Inspector 2nd class, Stephen Strange. Signing off. Good luck.“

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

_The recording done, Stephen downed the last of his bottle. Then he grabbed his things, and left his house, headed for the ship. In the end, he only made it out a day before total chaos consumed New Midgard, and the entire known world._

**Author's Note:**

> I got into The Bifrost Incident yesterday and the fandom is WAY too small. It’s so good...
> 
> But because it’s the Norse Gods I just HAD to make a Marvel au with it.
> 
> I hate The Bifrost Incident with my whole heart bc it makes me cry everytime but I also love it so much bc it’s so good???
> 
> All of the dialogue is the lyrics from the songs.


End file.
